Bragg and Liberty: What's In A Name
Should Fort Liberty be renamed back to its Confederate namesake?
A lot of folks are hoping that with the new administration, there will be mandates to undo recent name changes of places originally named for people associated with the Confederate Army. While the name changes were indeed an aggressive disruption of culture on the part of a political movement, no one in my circle would dare name anything for a Confederate general today. There are just too many unnecessary costs and being a proud southerner doesn’t make one a proud “confederate”. Plus, some of these namesakes may have been relevant in their community at the time, but many were not quite as extraordinary as we once thought. Let’s take a guy from my home state, Braxton Bragg, who had largely faded into obscurity over the past century, overshadowed by the prominence and success of the fort named for him AND whose cousin may be a better namesake to rename Liberty back to Bragg.
Fort Bragg was renamed to Fort Liberty during political unrest of the early 2020s. Even prior to this, many in modern military academia considered General Bragg of the Confederate States of America to be a subpar strategist and leader. But it’s understandable as to why some people still prefer the Bragg name. The base itself has a legacy traversing several generations of troops, joint and special units and even infamous murders and mysteries. To some, the name has less to do with a Confederate general and more to do with the legacy of our veterans. For some of us, it was just the name of our community. And let’s face it, all the world knows that if it’s from Fort Bragg, it is a formidable opponent… military or not. But even still, the debate over the base’s name is an implication of modern times and vibes. Back in 1918 when Fort Bragg was named, the name was not a major political issue because the Bragg family’s recognition with locals was deeper than the Civil War. The Bragg family produced military members, statesmen, architects and settlers going back centuries. So, it would not have been odd in 1918 for locals to honor a native son of NC as a prideful gesture following so much loss in the war and…. after selling hundreds of acres of farmland to the very people who just defeated your men, the US of A.
The Bragg family of NC is said to descend from Thomas Bragg born in 1579 in England. He and his brother were deckhands to Captain Christopher Newport on the First Supply ship to the new colony of Jamestown VA. Thomas Bragg, the original, married Newport’s daughter. His son, William (b. 1624), had one son, John (b. 1647) in Craven County, NC. John had two sons, one of which was Joseph Sr (b. 1670). Joseph Sr’s sons included Joseph Jr (b. 1719). Throughout these generations, the Braggs had large families whose sons fought in colonial and state wars and who were friends with founding county officials in both VA and NC. Out of Craven County, Carteret County was formed in 1722. It’s in Carteret County that one of Joseph Jr’s sons, John (b. 1741) had 9 children, including Thomas Bragg Sr.
Thomas Bragg Sr (b. 1778) had 12 children, including:
John (b. 1806), US Congressman of Alabama
Thomas Jr (b. 1810), Governor of NC and US Senator
Braxton (b. 1817), General Confederate Army
William (b. 1822), Captain Confederate Army
And, their cousin, Edward, was a General in the Union Army and served four terms in the US House of Representatives in Wisconsin.
Thomas Sr. began his career as a carpenter who most notably went on to supervise the reconstruction of Raleigh’s state capitol building. He got his earliest start building houses, churches, and government buildings along Virginia’s border. Around 1800, Thomas Sr moved to Warrenton and married Margaret Crossland in 1803. He began gaining business recognition with locals having a good reputation for his apprenticeship and work. But, in 1810, Margaret was jailed for murdering a free black man. The crime was off-putting in their circles as mistreatment of slaves and blacks was increasingly falling out of favor in higher social classes of NC. Despite Mrs. Bragg’s subsequent acquittal, the Braggs were social outcasts for some time. Thomas spent years re-establishing his good name as a builder and property owner employing both free and slave workers. It was common in NC for slave owners to allow their slaves to work extra hours for pay, learn a trade or to marry other free or enslaved people elsewhere. Between 1811 and 1821, he purchased his own slaves as his wealth increased. He eventually became a prominent member of the community and well-known builder across the state. In May 1831, his expertise was considered immediately following the Great Fire of Fayetteville, NC. But Raleigh commissioned his help to first, fireproof the state building during which it too caught ablaze when his workmen were soldering the new roof. The Fires of 1831 in Fayetteville and Raleigh put Thomas in the news. But he was absolved of any blame in the Raleigh building’s fire and was even re-commissioned briefly to rebuild it. He continued to amass enough wealth to send his sons to the prestigious Warrenton Male Academy. He purchased more slaves and employed free black men until old age having once advertised for “three or four good carpenters. Blacks preferred”.
Thomas’s son, Thomas Jr., was often ridiculed as a child because it was rumored that he was born in jail as his mother awaited sentencing. But, by 1833, he too had become a prominent and well-respected lawyer in Jackson, NC. From 1842 to 1843, he was a member of the NC General Assembly as a staunch Democrat. His rise in political popularity led to successfully becoming the Governor of NC in 1855. Thomas was a strong supporter of states’ rights in defense of slavery, but initially, he did not support NC’s secession. While he was a sympathizer, he didn’t believe that the Confederacy would succeed. He left the governor’s office in 1859 and became a Senator until early 1861. During that summer, he became more of an open supporter of the Confederacy leading Jefferson Davis to appoint him its Attorney General. But Thomas soon resigned in 1862.
Regarding Braxton’s career, there is no shortage of books, diaries, and courses in and out of the military reflecting on his life. Braxton’s career began at West Point followed by highly regarded service in the Mexican American War. After which, he resigned to Louisiana, married and became a successful sugar planter. Like many of his class, he had slaves and influence in his community. But, as all able-bodied men were called into the Civil War, he too was called to lead them. He had a reputation for his short temper and rigor in training the troops. He was considered anxious and difficult to work with by some of his peers, leaders and subordinates. He enforced strict rules for clean quarters, no alcohol and physical training. As his responsibilities increased, his persistent demands for drills, exercises, and parades also intensified. However, in battle, his strategies were not as successful as he and others anticipated. And by the end of the Civil War, his personality and losses overshadowed his knack for discipline. Some viewed him as a failed leader and a failed strategist particularly after the fall of Fort Fisher. Away in Richmond, he had been reporting to Davis and his leadership that things were going well despite clear signs on the ground that Fort Fisher was being captured. In the aftermath, he wrote to his brother, Thomas Jr., conveying his reasons and decision making. The General didn’t take accountability for his contributions to the Confederacy losing.
So, while I’d love to call it Fort Bragg, just for the sake of calling it Bragg, another name change would have to be worth the financial, social, cultural and political costs. The surname Bragg seems to mean actively, lively or great accomplishment and the base’s units have lived up to that meaning. Braxton, his father and brothers tried to live up to their name but encountered setbacks. They were both conflicted and ambitious during political unrest. And they clearly went along with the social class with which they sought entry or upward mobility. We’ve seen this ourselves in recent years and one day we’ll ask, who of today’s leaders sacrificed personal gain to lead common people ultimately in the right direction. Bragg and Confederate leaders didn’t represent rural NC; they were mostly representing the Democratic politicians and elites who benefited from slaves, ports, and a war that tore our country into two. The Civil War had family fighting family, if not physically at least symbolically like in this case of Edward Bragg, a Union General and his cousin, Braxton Bragg, a Confederate General. The attempted secession wasn’t good for the country and was devasting economically for the rural South. And we just spent $6 million to rename Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty, money that could go to young military families or our small surrounding towns. Lastly, some of these namesakes aren’t great representatives of our miliary today. Braxton Bragg himself didn’t consistently or continuously demonstrate the leadership we now expect of military members. So, if they change the name back to Bragg, it had better be worth it.
We should consider naming it for his cousin, Edward Bragg who was a General for the Union army. We could honor Lawrence and William Henry Bragg who were awarded the Noble Prize in physics in 1915. Or better yet, choose any Bragg who embodies our values, and it will be a plus that their name sounds like freedom and artillery.
But have no doubt, at the end of the All-American Freeway, the home of the brave will eventually eclipse any name we give it.
